Where I live in the UK that’s all just optional and can be replaced with a couple of plastic cards.
In fact my phone ran out of data for the last 2 days while I was away on business (issue with the phone company).
It was a small pain but life absolutely didn’t suck.
Try getting anywhere in China without a smartphone to run WeChat/Alipay. There's a reason they have phone charging stations everywhere.
Maybe 0.2% of the country will accept your credit card directly (hotels that cater to westerners). Nobody uses cash, but not quite everyone will outright refuse it if you try to pay with it. They won't have change and you'll give them the logistical hassle of having to turn that into digital money.
Ride hailing*, stores, and most restaurants and attractions will take payment through WeChat/Alipay exclusively.
Without your phone you'll be stuck in your hotel, unable to explore the country at all. Get used to doing everything from booking domestic flights to buying a bottle of water with your phone. Lots of places don't have physical tickets. Just some app within WeChat. Stores don't have a cash register. They have a QR code.
* Regular cabs will be happy to take cash, but absolutely DO NOT use them if you can at all avoid it. Use the ride hailing apps in WeChat/Alipay.
The alternative was to send them my passport in the post (which obviously I'm not doing.)